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Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Northern Illinois University, International Student and Faculty Office, Holmes Student Center, Room 023, DeKalb, IL 60115, U.S.A., United States
4.05 / 5 based on 12 reviews.
Description:
Northern Illinois University was founded in 1895 and is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The campus consists of 514 acres and 54 major buildings.


Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
66% of students recommend
12 reviews
Housing
4.2/5
 All experiences (12)
Student life
3.8/5
 5 stars (6)
Academic
4.6/5
 4 stars (0)
Languages
5.0/5
 3 stars (6)
Expenses
3.8/5
 2 stars (0)
Overall
4.0/5
 1 star (0)
“DeKalb is a small town with no other way than a car to get out of there. Due to this travelling might be quite difficult unless you buy a car.” Read Review
myllyma, Finland

1 3-star review of Northern Illinois University

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Review by Arttu, Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland
Business Studies, Erasmus
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: On campus
Why? Living in dorms has its disadvantages but it convenient way to arrange housing and daily meals
Personal comments:
The housing at NIU was not perfect but good enough. One big minus was the lack of air conditioning during the early fall. The price was also quite high.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Student life dominates the city
Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
There were quite a few bar which all offerred pool table and quite cheap bear. Places to go to are definetily The Barn which near the frats and sororitys and Starbuster which also a cool place. One should also visit DeKalb center to go the bars there, atleast once.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC    
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
The Business school is very good and professors world class so any course probably is fine. For business students I would recommed Business & Society course which was quite eye opening.



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
Academic life was very well taken care of at NIU.

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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Personal comments:
Since my home university is an English language and my English is totally fluent there was no problems with the language.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Other sources of funding:
Family
Personal savings
Government assistance
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits:
well food was mainly trough the University cafeterias and it was paid for before hand and telephone I didnt use really. Housing was quite expensive though, more expensive than I expected. Nightlife was great since beer was cheap. Travelling was quite difficult so didnt really do it.
Housing: was more expensive than at home.
Travel: was the same price as at home.
Food, Nightlife, Overall, Telephone: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
Well, all the payments were higher than expected which was a little suprise but there was no way to get out of them.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
I wish I had knonwn we had to live in a dorm for certain.
In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
NIU is a nice place but it should put more effort in making international students welcome.



FINAL COMMENTS

DeKalb is a small town with no other way than a car to get out of there. Due to this travelling might be quite difficult unless you buy a car.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No